THE TV WATCH; At Least One Television Show Runs Toward Controversy

By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

Published: February 21, 2005

Patty Bouvier, Marge's chain-smoking, ''MacGyver''-loving sister, came out of the cartoon closet on last night's episode of ''The Simpsons.'' The episode was preceded by a warning that because the show contained discussion of same-sex marriage, ''parental discretion'' was advised.

Gay characters are not new to television, or to ''The Simpsons,'' for that matter (Montgomery Burns's doting assistant, Waylon Smithers, collects Malibu Stacy dolls and vacations at men's singles resorts.)

A few years ago, the coming out of a prime-time character would probably not have caused much of a stir. But in the current climate, with the issue of gay rights spiking in the public discourse, the episode stood out. What could have seemed like a sweeps month gimmick became instead an aptly satirical comment.

The debate over same-sex marriages, and the way the conservative right inflated that debate into a wedge issue during the presidential campaign, is one factor. At the same time, growing fears about the possible spread of a rare strain of H.I.V. that is resistant to virtually all of the standard drugs has revived concern about unsafe sex among gays.

And cartoons are suddenly at the epicenter of the dispute. Conservative Christian groups are increasingly bold about attacking children's programming for pro-homosexual messages. After the new education secretary, Margaret Spellings, recently warned PBS that she had ''very serious concerns'' about an episode in ''Postcards From Buster,'' in which a real little girl in Vermont introduces the cartoon bunny Buster Baxter to her mother and her mother's lesbian partner, PBS pulled the episode. Last month, Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, complained that the creators of SpongeBob SquarePants had allowed the character to be used in a ''pro-homosexual'' music video made for schoolchildren.

Some gay groups may have been relieved to see that in a secretly taped conversation with Doug Wead, a former aide to George H.W. Bush, the current President Bush said that despite his opposition to gay marriage, he did not want the Republican Party to campaign against homosexuality. But he also expressed concern that his reluctance to bash gays might alienate Christian conservatives. He certainly appears to have minced his words when talking to evangelical leaders. On the tapes, some of which were played for The New York Times, Mr. Bush explained to Mr. Wead that he told a Texas minister, James Robison: ''I'm not going to kick gays, because I'm a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?''

Patty decided to wed her girlfriend, Veronica, after the town of Springfield legalized gay marriage to boost tourism and Homer Simpson became an ordained minister over the Internet to marry gay couples for cash.

The creators of ''The Simpsons'' had kept the identity of the gay character a secret, but the surprise was not so much who turned out to be gay (Patty's sensibilities were well established) but how the show would make fun of the issue. The writers chose to tweak every stakeholder in the debate, from evangelical preachers on the right to retailers and advertisers who champion gays as much for their ''disposable income'' as their civil rights.

The town even created its own theme song, sung to the tune of Harry Belafonte's ''Banana Boat Song,'' ''Gay-o, it's O.K.-o, Tie the knot and spend all your dough.''

The show also lampooned lesbian stereotypes -- women who love construction workers' gear and golf. In a flashback to Marge and Patty's different girlhoods, the teenage Marge pasted a poster of David Cassidy over her bed; Patty picked Miss Hathaway of ''The Beverly Hillbillies.''

''The Simpsons'' also took a dig at its own network, Fox, by having Homer call Fox and get a recording that asks callers for reality show proposals with the motto, ''Your half-baked ideas are all we've got.''

The episode was not the funniest in ''Simpsons'' history, but it was a tonic at a moment when television seems increasingly humorless and tame -- fearful of advertiser boycotts by the religious right and fines from the Federal Communications Commission.